Grand Annulus
of the Space Wolves Chapter]] The Grand Annulus is a massive ring-shaped stone, bounded by two concentric circles. This unique object can be found at the centre of the Hall of the Great Wolf located at the top of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter's mighty fortress-monastery, The Fang, on their homeworld of Fenris. It is a representation of the organisation of the Space Wolves Chapter. Each outer segment is a separately carved stone slab inscribed with the sigil and runes of the Wolf Lord it represents. During feasts in the hall, it is customary for the Wolf Lords and their Wolf Guard to be seated within the area of the hall thus indicated by their "name-stone". The central device, bearing the sign of the "Wolf That Stalks Between Stars", indicates the position of Great Wolf. This stone is rotated to show which of the Wolf Lords currently holds that honoured rank. Each of the stone slabs are as wide as a battle tank, and it takes a dozen of the strongest warriors to lift just one. Utmost care is taken in their construction and installation into the Grand Annulus, for it is said that to shatter a name-stone is to condemn its Great Company to an ignominious end. As Wolf Lords die, their name-stones are removed from the Hall of the Great Wolf and taken to the Grove of Heroes, where they circle the oldest name-stone of all, that of Primarch Leman Russ himself. Here they lie for eternity in huge concentric rings, a reminder of the heroic leaders of the Space Wolves across the ages. Current Warlords of The Fang *'Bran Redmaw' - Bran Redmaw, known as the "Curs'd Lord", "Wulfen-Kin" and "The Bloodied Hunter", is the current Wolf Lord of one of the Great Companies which is looked upon with suspicion by the 11 other Wolf Lords. More Space Wolves bearing the Curse of the Wulfen serve alongside Redmaw's company than in any other. The unspoken truth is that Redmaw himself has been afflicted by the curse. Bran Redmaw has taken the sigil of the Bloodied Hunter as his personal icon, which is associated with those with the Mark of the Wulfen. *'Engir Krakendoom' - Engir Krakendoom comes from a proud line of warlords who rule over the southernmost isles of Fenris. The people of the south, dark of skin and temperament, are expert explorers and oarsmen. They ply the infested oceans of Fenris in search of sea monsters; harpoons and long-axes at the ready. Engir's sigil is that of the Sea Wolf. His Great Company prefers to go to war in armoured transports, and boasts many Swift Claws. *'Erik Morkai' - Erik Morkai and his Great Company wear the sign of the Deathwolf. This particular badge is an ancient and significant symbol for the Space Wolves. According to ancient legends of Fenris, Leman Russ fought and tamed the great Fenrisian Wolf packs of Asaheim. He cast down the two-headed wolf Morkai, and made him the guardian of the gates of death, a task which Morkai has endured ever since. The two-headed wolf represents both Morkai, the guardian of the gates of death, and Freki and Geri, the legendary Fenrisian Wolf pack-mates and companions of Primarch Leman Russ himself. *'Gunnar Red Moon' - Gunnar Red Moon has taken the symbol of the Wolf of the Red Moon, a terrible god of vengeance in Fenrisian mythology; a great skeletal beast that prowls the Seven Hells, eternally devouring the bodies of the unworthy and yet never growing fat. The Wolf Lord who bears it as his personal symbol, on the other hand, is as broad as a menhir. A broad, roaring, laughing bear of a man, Gunnar favours his Long Fangs more than most, for he reasons that Veterans make the best companions in the Feast Hall as well as upon the battlefield. *'Logan Grimnar' - The Great Company of Logan Grimnar, the current Great Wolf of the Space Wolves, is fanatically loyal to their charismatic and cunning leader. Each warrior is extremely proud of his link to the supreme lord of the Chapter, and constantly vies with his peers for the Old Wolf's favour. The central device of the Grand Annulus, bearing the sign of the "Wolf That Stalks Between Stars", the personal sigil of Leman Russ himself, indicates Logan Grimnar's position as the Chapter's current Great Wolf. *'Harald Deathwolf' - Harald Deathwolf has taken the symbol of the Ravening Jaw, which symbolises the Wolftime, the end of all things, when the Guardian of the Dead, Morkai, will eat the sun and eternal night will shroud the stars. Harald himself rides to battle upon the great grey Fenrisian Wolf, Icetooth. *'Bjorn Stormwolf' - The military actions of Bjorn Stormwolf's Great Company are typified by noise, intimidation, and splendour. He has taken the Thunderwolf as his symbol, for he too is a creature of might and ferocity over stealth. According to legend, the Thunderwolf was one of the ancient wolves that Leman Russ fought and vanquished. The Thunderwolf ran from Russ and continues to run to this day, forever circling the world of Fenris. The creature can be seen as a constellation in the night sky fleeing across the heavens. As he passes overhead his howling cry is said to create the thunder, and his flashing fangs are the lightning. The symbol of the Thunderwolf is highly favoured as an emblem of Wolf Lords. *'Egil Iron Wolf' - Egil Iron Wolf has taken the sigil of the Iron Wolf. In Fenrisian mythology, the Iron Wolf lies dormant beneath the continent of Asaheim, a beast so vast that the mountains are the fur on his back and the seams of metal within them are his veins. If that were so, then Egil Iron Wolf would owe his totem a great debt, for his Great Company is replete with metallic beasts of war. *'Krom Dragongaze' - Krom Dragongaze has been known to let his anger govern his reason. Thankfully for Krom, his skill in personal combat and the glory he has accrued from his service to the Chapter more than makes up for any doubts the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar might have over "Fierce-eye". Krom's sigil is that of the Sun Wolf, who makes the belly of the sun his lair, and attacks Fenris anew with every dawn. *'Ragnar Blackmane' - Ragnar Blackmane and his Great Company bear the potent sigil of Blackmane. According to the ancient legends of Fenris, Leman Russ fought and tamed the great Fenrisian Wolf packs of Asaheim. He cast down the two-headed wolf Morkai, and made him the guardian of the gates of death, a task which Morkai has endured ever since. There are many stories of how Russ fought Morkai's lieutenants, and banished each in turn to an appointed place. The most fearsome of all was Blackmane, a terrifying black-maned giant known as the Howler in the Night, whose long howling cry calls the souls of dead warriors from their graves. *'Sven Bloodhowl' - The warriors of Bloodhowl's Great Company tattoo themselves with Fenrisian runes, interlacing designs and scenes from their own sagas. Sven's own saga is so extensive that every inch of his body is tattooed. He has taken to using the skins of his victims as a canvas with which to chronicle his latest deeds. Sven has embraced the sign of the Fire Breather, a volcano that lies a hundred leagues north of their Chapter's mighty citadel, The Fang. *'Kjarl Grimblood' - Kjarl Grimblood is a fierce rival of Sven Bloodhowl. He and his Great Company bear the sigil of the Fire Wolf. In Fenrisian myth the Fire Wolf burns without being consumed, and it is his voice of flame that melts the snows and thaws the glaciers before each season. *'The 13th Company' - The blank obsidian name-stone set into the Grand Annulus was once that of Jorin Bloodhowl's Great Company, known as the Wulfenkind; they who hounded Magnus the Red into the Warp at the time of the Horus Heresy. It has come to represent all of the Great Companies in the history of the Space Wolves who have been destroyed in battle, lost on campaign or recanted their oaths of fealty, and hence is the subject of many veiled comments and superstitions. Only a handful of outsiders have ever seen the stone or heard of its existence, and to suggest a Great Company "walks to the 13th stone" is a grave accusation indeed. Sources *''Codex: Space Wolves'' (5th Edition), pp. 15-17 *''White Dwarf'' Issue #26, "The Great Companies," pg. 29 es:Gran Anular Category:G Category:History Category:Imperial History Category:Imperium Category:Space Marines Category:Space Wolves